First, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 4:5-6, and Titus 3:5 are referring to our Initial Salvation.The apostle Paul made it clear that we are not saved by works (Ephesians 2:9) and that God imputes righteousness apart from works (Romans 4:5-6) and that it's not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy He saved us (Titus 3:5)
-#1. Ephesians 2:1 says you have been quickened. How many times were you quickened? Ephesians 2:3 says we were once by nature children of wrath (talking about our old life and the change that happened when we came to the LORD).
#2. Romans 5:2 says, “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace...” Romans 5:11 says, “by whom we have now received the atonement.” Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” So Paul's focus many times in this letter is how a person needs to get saved (Which is tied in with being saved by His grace - a process of salvation that is without works). Romans 3 (Which sets up Romans 4) talks about how we all have fallen short of the glory of God in our past old life when we were sinners (Whereby we need to have faith in Jesus Christ).
#3. Titus 3:3-6 says:
“For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; ”
So as we can see that by reading the context that Paul is talking about when we first got saved. For we were at one time in the past foolish and disobedient serving different lusts and pleasures. Until God came into our life with His love and saved us by His mercy and by the washing of regeneration of the Holy Ghost. Meaning, we received a new heart with new desires (i.e. to be born again spiritually).
Second, you have to understand that when Paul spoke negatively of works or the Law in a generic sense he was always referring to the Old Law or the 613 Laws of Moses as a whole or package deal and he was not referring to the Laws of Christ (even though certain laws from the Old have carried over into the New Covenant Laws of Christ). One major thing you have to pay attention to is Acts 15 at the Jerusalem council. If you were to read Paul with Acts 15 in mind, then it becomes clear as to the motivation of why he spoke in the way he did against works and the Law (i.e. the Old Law). Please see again carefully in prayer Acts 15:1, Acts 15:5, Acts 15:24. If you were to carefully read and believe these verses, you would understand that there were a certain sect of Jews who believed Gentile Christians had to first be circumcised in order to be initially saved. So if this is the case, it makes sense why Paul spoke in the way he did against the Law and or works in a generic sense. In fact, we see bread crumbs or clues to Paul condemning this heresy of being circumcised to be saved in his letters to the churches. Galatians 5:2 Paul says that if you seek to be circumcised Christ will profit you nothing. Paul also says, “For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” (Romans 2:25-29). Paul continues: “What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?” (Romans 3:1). Paul even hints at the problem of circumcision for salvation again in Romans 4:9-12. So this is the context you have to ignore.
2 Timothy 1:9 says:and that God called us and saved us with a holy calling not according to our works (2 Timothy 1:9)
“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,”
This would be the works according to God's purpose and grace and not our own works like circumcision. For we are his workmanship and we are created unto Christ Jesus unto good works, and we are ORDAINED that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
The problem is that you are not rightly dividing the Word. This is because believing in a sin and still be saved type belief is easier and it requires no effort on your end. You can be lazy by just believing in Jesus + nothing else and be saved.yet you are somehow trying to convince me that what Paul is really saying is that we are saved by "these" works (good works) and just not "those" works (works of the law).
You have made this same tired argument before. As I told you before, guilt by association is not always true. Even a blind squirrel can find a nut. While the Roman Catholic church is in grave error because of their many sins like idolatry (bowing down to statues, and kissing them), and praying to dead people (Necromancy), and their adding their own false man made traditions to the Bible, etcetera, that does not mean they are not close to the truth in that works save. Granted, they wrongfully think one needs to first baptized (a work) in order to be initially saved. So they make it all about works and no grace ever (like the Church of Christ). But I already demonstrated by Scripture that AFTER we are saved by God's grace through faith (a process of salvation without works), we then enter the Sanctification of the Spirit as a part of God having chosen us to salvation.Roman Catholics teach this same bogus argument in an effort to "get around" the truth that we are saved through faith and not by works in general.
“...God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:” (2 Thessalonians 2:13).
So it's...
Paul did not want to confuse the issue because he was referring to how we need to first get saved by God's grace (Which is a process of salvation without works). But there are other places where Paul does teach that we need to later have works as a part of God's plan of salvation. Galatians 6:8-9 is a big one you have to ignore or twist to your own destruction.Ephesians 2:10 clearly states that we are created in Christ Jesus unto/for good works. Paul did not say that we are saved by good works. That is your eisegesis.